Sixteen Ain't So Sweet
by Apache13
Summary: There's really not a way to describe it. Basically, it's epic. Fang/OC Max/OC etc etc. There will be some odd pair ups, with a new flock. There'll be fights with the School, and eachother. Someone has to go to war.
1. Flock

**I'm writing this story with my best friend, on here she's drummer-girl-74. It'll be an epic story, and I'm really looking forward to writing it =D we both have a ton of ideas for it, and we're having soooo much fun writing it! Hope you like it. =) Her chapters will be in Bel or Fang's POV, and my chapters will be in Embers. We'll be making a soundtrack, so by the time the story is finished you'll have a huge list of amazing, intense songs! Yay!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Max or Fang or any of the flock, J. Patterson does. =)**

**Claimer: We DO own Talon, Bel, Ember, Shadow, and Ash.**

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**Track One- Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace**

***Fang***

Max plopped down beside me on the couch, almost surprising me. But, of course, I didn't even remotely show it as I looked over at her, her eyes shining brightly to match the beautiful smile she had on her lips.

"Hey."

I gave her my usual Fang smile back—the tiny, one-second-long smile—before turning back towards the TV.

Living with Dr. Martinez—Max's mom—was still weird. We had been for a month now, just taking a break and ignoring the now furious voice of Max's. It was something we all needed, a vacation.

Eighteen…

The word was still new to me, but it was my age—eighteen.

Valencia, as she had us call her—she even offered Mom, but I wasn't ready to call her that—walked in the room about then, sitting in the chair beside the couch, on Max's left. We both looked at her, because whenever she did that, she usually had something to say.

"I don't think I ever told you guys…"

"Told us what?" Max asked curiously, eyebrows rising in surprise.

Valencia took a deep breath. "Well, honey, a little bit before you guys got here, the government found someone."

"Someone?"

"Well, more like someone_s_," she corrected herself, frowning at the word she just made up. Val was all for using correct grammar and such.

We don't care, because, I mean, really? Does a couple of months of actual school—the normal human school—really help?

The answer is no, it doesn't.

"They found another flock of avian hybrids," Val informed us, going on before she slapped herself for that. "There are five of them; two males and three females. Their leader joined the Marine Corps, and he passed every test they could dish out to him with flying colors. And, if I do say so myself, he is _very _attractive. We'll just leave it at that."

Max laughed. "Um, is he your age, Mom?"

"No," she admitted. "Not the point. The point is, I've only seen three of the five. The other two were females. I'm not sure how old they are. The male is nineteen. But, the two females looked like they could be that old. They're absolutely _gorgeous_ though, beyond belief."

I could see that Max didn't like hearing this, because she frowned at her mom. I also knew it was the perfect place to score some brownie points here, but I didn't feel like speaking up.

All I had to do was say, "Sounds familiar," and look at Max, or something like that. But, I didn't feel like it.

I know, I know. I'm terrible. But, I don't want to sound like a sick, love struck, corny sap.

Val went on, obviously not seeing how Max was jealous. "I was kinda wondering…I know you guys are on vacation and everything, and I completely understand if you say no. I am fascinated by you guys, and I wonder if they're the same. The last I heard, they were in Phoenix. Can you guys find them for me?"

Max looked over at me, but instead of responding, I just shrugged. She, of course, rolled her eyes, but she looked over at Val. "I can already tell you that the younger ones are _not _gonna want to do this. Iggy probably will, as long as we promise to come back. Him and Ella are getting close."

Mom sighed. "I've noticed…"

"He won't hurt her like her last boyfriend did, Mom," Max assured her, knowing that Ella getting hurt again was what was bothering her about Iggy and Ella's now serious relationship.

"Not intentionally," Val sighed. "But, Max…what about when you guys leave again? Will they break up? Will they stay together?"

"Ella can think of it like him being in the army," I suggested, regretting it once I said it.

But, Max liked it, to the point she nodded. "Yes! Exactly. He'll always love her, and yeah, he'll be gone, but he'll be back."

Val smiled at us. "You know, I think that's a good idea."

Max just smiled over at me before standing up and yelling, "Iggy!"

Off to find another flock…five words I didn't ever think I would say.

But, I did…

And I'm eighteen when I said it too…

Odd.


	2. Rule Number One

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**This would be my chapter, you get to meet the flock in this one, and my best friends next chapter, aswell. We really adore Talon. He's based on actor Alex Pettyfer. - Most sexy person ever. My co-author disagrees though... Oh well. =) **

**Disclaimer: We don't own Max's flock, or any other characters, themes, or ideas in the Maximum Ride seeries.**

**Claimer: We DO own the other characters in this chapter. We love them. **

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_Track One- Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace,_

**Track Two- Freak Out by Avril Lavigne**

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***Ember***

I had that awful, sickening feeling you get when you just

_know_ you're being tracked, and someone, somewhere, knows where you are, and what you're doing. You know what I'm talkin' about? Well…okay, you might now, but after you've been hunted down a couple times, you start to learn how the ropes go.

Rule Number One of Ember's Bird-Kid Survival Guide _(Which is rather important, and you need to take note of even the seemingly retarded rules, because they're important at some point of your life and you'll need it.):_Stay alert, and don't let them sneak up on you. Because, believe me, they _will_ kill you if they get the chance. How do you solve that? Stay alert. That way, you don't get killed or- better- no one in your flock gets killed. For me that'd be like walking naked through hell soaked in gasoline and a propane tank strapped on my back, and bombs in each hand- but the catch is I can feel all the pain, but it won't kill me. Loosing anyone in the flock would be the worst nightmare I could ever imagine.

How about I introduce you to them? Yeah, I think I will- like it or not. Why? Because I feel like it.

First off, there's Talon. He's our leader, without any disagreement from anyone. He was tall, around 6'6", with slightly curly blonde hair and a shocking yet impressive wingspan of 16 feet. Every time he unfurled those wings, I caught my breath. They were solid white, like angels wings would be but with obvious power and strength. He was rather muscled, but he was lean. He was the strongest out of us all, without a doubt. His blue-grey eyes were seemingly endless, and on occasion appeared to be able to look into your very soul. It was kinda intimidating, in a weird sexy attractive way. I'm not saying he's sexy or attractive though. Well, okay, maybe if you looked at him in the right light...NO. He was the leader, and he was 19. No. That just, no. it wouldn't be proper, it wouldn't be appropriate.

When Talon was seventeen, the government got their hands on him, and sent him to different training to test his limits. He went to Marine Corps boot camp at Paris Island, Navy SEAL training, Green Beret training, Army Ranger training, Delta training, Para-Rescue training, Marine Force Reconnaissance training, and MARSOC (Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command), and any other grueling physical training test you could ever think of. He passed every one of them with flying colors, back to back with hardly a week of rest between the training. He had some sort of special deal with the U.S. government which allowed us to be kept confidential; but if they needed us, or Talon specifically- which was more often than not the case-, we had to do what they asked us to do. He was the most disciplined person I'd ever met, and he was one of the nicest people I'd ever met at the same time. I genuinely respected Talon; he was a phenomenal leader and the strongest- physically and mentally- person- or avian kid- I'd ever met. You couldn't not respect or look up to him; he just had that presence that made you forget to breathe for a minute, and then you're like SHIT air, air, air…aw…look at those eyes..and that smile. Then you just stand there grinning like a dumbass with wings. Or like a dumbass with a Red Bull…. Get it? Red Bull gives you wings? Ha, I crack myself up. But, anyways, back to Talon… Maybe that's just me though; I haven't really noticed anyone else like that. No, no, it couldn't be just me.

Next in command would be my brother, Shadow. He's a character, that boy. He stands around 6'0" with short, cropped black hair that stuck up in random places. He was your typical 18 year old, and your typical protective brother. He took a little while to get to know, but once you did get to know him, he would be one of your favorite people in the world. But then again, that could be because he's one of the only people you know- like in my case. I'm only kidding… halfway. But God, sometimes I wanted to hit him so hard upside the head… you know how you have that little brother, and he's like 5 years old and thinks it's cool to mock you and junk like that? Well, imagine that annoying, times ten, but instead of the immaturity replace it all with immense, thick, venomous sarcasm. Well, maybe that was getting carried away. He couldn't help it, he was mental. In my opinion, that is. He was a sweet guy, when he wanted to be, but that literally was once upon a red moon that it happened.

Then, there was Bel. God, where do I start with that girl? She's the most gorgeous girl I know, and she was my very best friend in the world. She knew what I meant, even when I said the exact opposite. We laughed at the craziest things, to the point where our sanity was questioned by Talon, Shadow, and Ash. Bel loved to tell me how "vertically challenged" I was, but I'd tell her she was just freakishly tall. It worked out pretty well, if you ask me. There is one thing about her, though… Bel was a happy, bubbly, hyper person when it was just me and her. The minute someone else was there, she would change. She'd be shy, quiet, reserved, and apparently everyone was a bit afraid of her. I genuinely didn't understand that, in every sense of the word, she was my sister. I knew Bel wasn't ever 100% happy, and it killed me. I didn't know what to do to help make her happy, Now, Bel wasn't naturally a violent person but if you pissed her off… I hope you wore a bullet-proof body suit the day you piss her off; you'd need that for when she starts throwing punches. She had a bit of a temper, and it was part of what I loved about her. She'd get mad about the silliest thing, and two seconds later get completely sidetracked. It was so funny. She had a light personality, and was just a ball of energy. I loved that girl to death, everything about her.

And last, but not least… there was Ash. She was the most hyperactive little girl I'd ever met in my life. It wasn't the annoying hyper, though. She could always brighten anyone's day, without even trying. She was just so sweet, and hyper, and caring, and adorable. Being mad at her, or being upset with her around… it just didn't work out well. It was like trying to be mad when you see the cutest little brown-eyed puppy you could ever imagine. Sometimes I hated how she always got out of trouble, no matter what. Even Talon and Shadow couldn't say no to her. And, goodness, that child is the best cook ever. If she didn't have wings, I'd make her go work at a high class restaurant, even though she's only thirteen. She could make anything you asked her to. On top of that, she was the smartest person I'd met. She could answer any question you asked, and if she didn't know she simply had to find out or she'd go insane. She was such a lovable teddy bear, it just wasn't fair.

Anyways, back to the present.

I was walking around the little camp we'd set up in the Colorado mountains, and let me tell you… every direction you looked, it was a breathtaking scene- each better than before. It was peaceful, isolated, and beautiful. I loved it, without a doubt. I had a sudden urge to get away for a little while, so, I unfurled my charcoal wings, and right before I took off, I was stopped.

"Now, where do you think you're off to?" asked Talon, and I sighed as I faced him. My wings drooped slightly, and I bowed my head.

"I don't know," I murmured, feeling like a little kid who'd been caught doing something she shouldn't. Talon sighed softly in front of me.

"Ember, that's dangerous. And you know it,"

"But Talon, it's so gorgeous around here, please can I go? I'll be careful, I promise," I pleaded, meeting his striking gaze with my own. He smirked, but faintly. If you blinked, you'd have missed it. I loved that smirk.

"On one condition, Ember…" he began slowly and I groaned. I hated conditions.

"What?"

"You let me come with you. Shadow can watch over Bel and Ash, and we can go wherever you want to in the mountains and I'll be happy knowing you're not lost or hurt." I glared at him, one hand on my hip, and arched an eyebrow.

"Talon, you know I'd never get lost, ever," I said, and he rolled his eyes.

"Ember, please," he sighed and his voice mixed in with that British accent of his pulled on my heart, and I caved. I sighed, looking down.

"Fine, whatever you want," I sighed, failing to hide the small smile that crept onto my lips. Talon chuckled.

"Good," he smiled, unfurling those massive, gorgeous wings of his and flexed them so they were stretched out completely.

"Show off," I muttered, and took a running start before I lifted myself above the ground with one downward stroke of my wings. After flying a good way away from the camp, I slowed my pace, and turned back but I was shocked when I didn't see Talon behind me. I landed on the top of a nearby ledge, and looked around.

"Talon?" I called out, looking frantically. "Talon?"

A minute later, I felt two arms around my waist and lift me up high. I screamed, pushing away from the person with my wings.

"Shit, Ember, chill. It's only me," chuckled Talon, and I growled, sending a fierce glare at him as I flapped a couple times in order to not fall.

"Not funny, you scared me," I said, and took off flying with him right behind me again.

Twenty or so minutes later, I'm not really sure, Talon landed on the top of a high mountain that was so high the only thing you could see from where we were was clouds. It was still amazing, and breathtaking. I landed beside him, staggering slightly as I did so, and he held my arm for a moment.

"Whoa there, tiger… you okay?" he asked and I nodded with a smile.

"This place is so gorgeous, Talon…"

"Yeah, it really is," he agreed softly as he took a few steps toward the edge. For a few minutes, we kept to ourselves as we looked at the scenery… and yes, by "scenery" I mean the mountains and stolen looks at him when he wasn't looking.

"So, Ember… I kind of need to ask you to do something for me…" he sighed, finally turning to face me again. His grey and golden eyes were impossible to read, with so many hidden emotions almost to the surface but not quite.

"Yeah, sure Talon, anything," I replied, curious. He didn't look very happy.

"I need you to go on a mission for me…I need you two go to the School, and get a boy for me… he's thirteen, and his name is Gabriel. And if at all possible…destroy that damned School in the process, burn it down," he said, and I nodded.

"You say the word, and I'm gone,"

His eyes met mine, and he looked at me almost angrily for a moment.

"You're not going alone, there's no way I would ever send you on something that dangerous- I wouldn't send Shadow by himself, either. No one," he said in a low voice, and I nodded. "Bel will accompany you, so it's both of your mission."

"We won't let you down," I vowed, and he smiled almost sadly.

"Just don't get yourself hurt, and watch out for Bel," he said, and again I nodded.

"Of course not,"

"Thank you," he sighed, and I smiled as I shivered.

"It's the least I can do for you,"

" Are you cold?" he asked, and took a few steps towards me. I shrugged, it didn't matter. I was okay, but he wrapped his arms around my small body. Jerk, my nose was against his chest. Stupid shortness.

"Well, I don't want you to think of it like that. I did what I could, but we all take care of each other. You don't owe me a thing," he murmured, his chin on the top of my head. His body was so warm, and I was so cold. I couldn't help but lock my arms around him and snuggle close to his strong, warm body.

Suddenly, I pulled away and looked down, avoiding Talons gaze. That was wrong, Talon was three years older than me, and the Flock leader. It was wrong.

"Um, we should…uh, be getting back," I replied and took off without bothering to look back.


	3. Bottom of the Lists

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**Her chapter! I love it! =)**

**Disclaimer; we dont own Max and such.**

**We do own Bel, Talon, Ember, etc. =)**

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_Track One: Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace_

_Track Two: Freak Out by Avril Lavigne_

**Track Three: Use Somebody by Kings of Leon**

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***Bel***

We would follow Talon to the end of the world—deep into a fiery, active volcano if he asked. There would be no question of his sanity—out-loud anyways—but we would do it, nonetheless. Anything he said, we followed.

That's just how amazing of a leader he was, and that's just how much we trusted him. If we were in a parallel universe and Talon betrayed us—I say it like that because he could _never _do that, especially to Ember—we would be so devastated. Honestly, I think Ember might die on the inside.

Anyways…right now, our dedication to Talon was clearly eminent. If he ever had any doubts about Ember's and my loyalty to him before, he didn't now.

Our sanity on the other hand…probably.

Who in their right minds travels back to the wicked place that created them in an attempt to destroy it, with only _two _teenage girls?

Not saying girls couldn't do it better than guys, because we totally can—or at least just as good—but nonetheless, it was just us two.

Shadow didn't feel good about sending his baby sister in there with only one other person, but he didn't question Talon. No one ever did. So, the two of us came in.

All five of us would've made so much more sense, but I knew Talon knew what he was doing. He had to, _especially _if he's sending the love of his life—that's totally Ember, by the way—in there with only one person protecting her.

Maybe Ember and I were more qualified for the job? I don't know.

But, we all are five pretty freaking _amazing_ teenage avian hybrids, if I do say so myself.

Talon alone probably could've done it…maybe—okay, fine; probably not. But, still. He's a freakin' _Marine_. No, he doesn't have a special ability…unless super strength counts as an ability. If so, then, yeah, he does. He's two percent of a mixture of lots of birds, but he has solid white wings, and he's nineteen.

For some reason, three years difference between Talon and Ember bothers Shadow. Ember wants to be with Talon, more than anything else in the world—whether or not she'll admit it—but Shadow wouldn't approve, to the point he would be _pissed_. That would _kill _Ember, so she's just waiting for Shadow to get over it.

He will…eventually. If not, I'll get a hold of him.

Hey…there's an idea.

The second-in-command was none other than Shadow. He has, by _far_, the best eyesight. It's _ridiculous_. Along with that, he can morph into other things—whatever he wants to. He's part hawk, so his wing look like a hawk's would. He's on the verge of turning nineteen, but he's not quite there. He only a month left till he does.

Then, just a month or so older than me, there's Ember…my _insanely _gorgeous best friend who is more like my sister than anyone else I know. She's average height, although she feels like a dwarf sometimes. I mean, five foot five is a good height. You're not short, but you're not super tall either.

Like me. Really? I mean, I guess it's better than being six foot tall or taller, but five foot ten? That's tall, in my eyes, freakishly so.

Anyways…back to Ember. Her emo style long black hair accents her olive skin and _amazing _eyes perfectly. They're _bright_, literally glow in the dark, emerald—an exact emerald green color. They are so beautiful.

Haha.

She's two percent phoenix with dark charcoal wings, which makes her ability—she's got the exact same ability as the Human Torch, _exactly_—ironic and funny. She also has the best sense of direction out of any of us, even Talon.

Then, there's Ash. Oh man. She's…wow. This girl is _insanely _hyper, which makes sense, I guess, cause she's only thirteen. She's so sweet, though, and she cares like you wouldn't even believe. You can't _not _love this girl. But, anyways, we're not sure what kind of bird she is, but she has dark sapphire wings with random sky blue stripes in a couple of places—one thick long one and another short thin one, the short one on top of the other. She can control storms, which is _awesome_, she's the best cook by far, and she's a super _genius_ like you wouldn't even believe.

Me? I'm nothing special. The only thing—I guess thing_s_—I can do is I can control light, I can control dark—shadows and the sun included—and I have the best hearing. Oh! I'm the absolute klutizest person in the world, I'm so figuratively blonde—literally too—that it's actually sad, I can't cook to save my life, and the words accident or danger prone don't even come _close _to _almost _somewhat describing me in the tiniest bit. Seriously; it's bad.

Another thing about me is, around _everyone_, even Ember sometimes, I'm a quiet, impassive, scary girl. When I say scary, I mean they are _terrified _of me—Ember not so much. If I really wanted to, I could force Talon to make me leader.

There are two _huge _reasons why I would _never _do that. For one, I don't want to. I mean, that's a _huge _responsibility that I just don't want. I could never lead these guys. And, for another reason, they would all _HATE_ me—if that's even good enough to describe it.

Honestly, I think if everyone _HAD_ to make a list of their favorite people in order, Ember's list would be the _only _one I wouldn't be at the bottom of, and even then, I would only be second, _maybe _third.

Not that I blame them. I'm not a very appealing person, in any way.

Ember would _KILL_ me if she heard that.

Good thing she didn't and _won't_…ever.

Somethings we all have in common is our sarcasm, our amazing sense of humor, our sense of style, and our insanely awesome ability to come up with witty comebacks. For the most part, we're happy, but sometimes, I just feel empty. Then, I feel terrible, because I'm the only one that feels like the Flock just isn't enough to make me one hundred percent whole and happy.

It sucks.

Not only has Talon led us so well and naturally, but he's also taught us so much. He's taught us about love, life, hope, trust, loyalty, many other things…and my favorite, the importance of being no one but us, who we truly are.

To be yourself in a world that constantly tries to change you is, in my eyes, the greatest accomplishment you can have; one of the greatest anyways.

"Bel, watch out!" Ember's voice yelled, snapping me out of my trance just in time to get a hard, blunt object smashed against my head by a Flyboy. A split second later, everything went completely black.

_Great. Way to be a nuisance to my best friend in an already tough, almost suicidal situation involving, easily, fifty Flyboys._

Stupid, stupid, stupid!


	4. Suck It Up

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**This one would be mine. It took quite a while to get done, and it was a little slow coming together at first. But, it's done. :) **

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_Track One: Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace_

_Track Two: Freak Out by Avril Lavigne_

_Track Three: Use Somebody by Kings of Leon_

**Track Four: Anthem For the Underdog by 12 Stones**

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*Ember*

"Bel, watch out!" I yelled, my eyes going wide with fear as I saw a flyboy smash a heavy, thick glassed water vase over her head. I growled when I saw her go down, my fists clenching and my jaw locked in anger. The flyboy I was currently fighting with, well… he was no longer a problem. I snapped out my charcoal wings, and lunged at the one who attacked Bel. He tried to run, but it was useless. I had him in my iron grasp, and I wasn't planning on letting him free for hurting my best friend.

I heard his wrist snap in my grasp, and he let out a howl of pain. I smirked, triumphantly, and brought my leg around in a roundhouse, making contact with his head in a sickening _Crack__! _His eyes went wide before rolling back, and I scowled.

I hated killing. It sickened me, to my very core, and a lot of nights I couldn't ever sleep because every time I did every person I'd ever killed visited me- each a different night. I was sure by now I was only a 16th through the list though; that'd be one long waiting line. Imagine the lines for your favorite ride at Disney World or Six Flags, or whatever you do, on a summer day when your entire school system, along with all its county schools, and every other kid in the state was there on that day. Multiply that by ten, and you have half an idea of what that waiting line would be like.

I hated myself for it; no, I _despised_myself for it. My heart tore itself to pieces every time I hurt someone, and every time I killed something it was like driving a million knives into my body- every pore had a needle ten inches deep, and I was being torn to pieces. I hated seeing the life leave someone's eyes, I didn't care who or what it was. I wanted to cry every time I'd been forced to kill a little bunny, or rat, or squirrel for food. They were innocent. They'd done _nothing_ to deserve being killed. Now, Erasers and Flyboys were different. They were evil; they would kill me or my family if I didn't kill them. But…still. Every single day is a different chance to turn your life around. I knew that every day almost, I took away far too many chances. That wasn't my place to judge, and it wasn't my place to tell someone they'd had enough chances, so suck it up and face the price you pay for your mistakes. People weren't evil; some people just needed someone to help them out a little.

But of course, I _had_ to take lives- even though I hated it. It didn't bother any of the others near as much as it did me. I think they'd all gotten used to- or as used to it as you could possibly get. I often found comfort in talking to my brother about it, though. He and I had similar minds; we were siblings. He was a guy though, so it didn't daunt him as much. It bothered him, but he knew it had to be done and so he did it. I think part of that was the fact he had a baby sister to look after, though. I knew Talon had the mindset he had to protect his flock, and he did anything to protect us- no matter what the personal cost to him was. I admired that, but I also hated it. Talon needed to think more about what could happen to him, sometimes. He'd very narrowly escaped death on more than one occasion, and I didn't want that to become habitual. I knew he didn't care as long as we all were okay, but he needed to be more careful.

I pulled myself from my thoughts; I couldn't dwell on shit like that- especially not right now. I had to find that kid, then get Bel and him out alive. I finished off the last flyboy in the room, and I heaved Bel over my shoulder in a fireman's carry. I dashed up a flight of stairs, hugging my wings tightly to my body on account of the small stairway.

I was uneasy, I felt like I was being followed. That was never a good feeling, and I'm usually right about it. I again pushed the thoughts aside as I kicked down the door in front of me after laying Bel beside the entrance. There was a scream from the room, and my eyes found a little boy.

He looked to be around Ash's age, so maybe 11 or 12, give or take a year or so. He had cropped brown hair, that stuck up a little on the sides with it slightly shorter in the middle. He had a cute face, but it was currently twisted in fear as he huddled into a corner with medium sized sparrow wings cascading around his frail body.

I took a cautious step towards him, and he cowered closer to the wall. I sighed.

"Are you Gabriel?" I asked softly, kneeling down on one knee across the room.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice shaking as he tried to steady it.

"I'm Ember,"

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to rescue you. My Leader asked me to save you, so you can be a part of our flock and we'll take care of you, honey," I said softly, carefully studying his face. Before he could reply, a group of Flyboys burst through the window opposite him. I sprang up, drawing a hidden knife from my belt and lunged at the one closest to Gabriel. He flinched, looking away as I shoved the blade into the Flyboy.

I was sick, disgusted with myself for doing that in front of a child. I couldn't dwell on the thought though, because there were still three or four more attacking me. I fought hard, but I was getting tired. I was already exhausted, and I was nearing the point of fatigue. But, no. I had to keep going. I couldn't let down Talon. I couldn't let Gabriel get caught, again. I couldn't let down Bel. I had to protect her, she needed me more than anything now.

There were three down, and two to go. And they were big. I dug my heels in, and kept going. My fist collided with one's chest, but before he could retaliate I flipped away- to the one heading to Gabriel. I sent him a nice, jaw-breaking uppercut. However, the other both were closing in on me. I was backed into the corner with Gabriel behind me.

And then, we were saved.

A boy swiftly handed a quick sequence consisting of several uppercuts, hooks, kicks, and jabs to the two. He turned his attention to one, and I attacked the second. Within moments, they were finished off.

"Who the fuck are you," I spat at the other avian boy. He had dark, midnight black wings that matched the shade of his shaggy hair perfectly. His dark grey and black eyes met mine with some degree of amusement.

"You're welcome for saving your life, it was no problem. Oh, by the way, I'm Fang," he said with a teasing roll of his eyes. I smirked, placing one hand on my hip.

"Thanks, but, I need to be getting back," I replied, and I knelt down to face Gabriel again. He looked at me with new eyes. "Do you think you can come with me?"

"Um, I…. uh, sure," he sighed, heaving himself off the ground. I ruffled his hair as I stood up, head and shoulders over him.

"You may need some help," grinned Fang, and I arched an eyebrow.

"And, why is that?"

"Well, you're exhausted. You've got to get him to wherever you're going, and you have your friend who is passed out and, might I add, a little bit taller than you? You may be badass, but you can't kill yourself."

I glared at him, hard. But, it didn't intimidate him.

"Fine," I growled. "but you better keep up."

"Oh, I will. Don't even worry about that," he grinned, and I smirked back. He quickly retrieved Bel, and motioned for me to lead the way.

I took Gabriel's hand, and we dove from the window with Fang close behind us.


End file.
